Island man fined for cutting down Confederate flag

By
Peter Sutters

Posted Apr 6, 2018 at 5:01 PMUpdated Apr 6, 2018 at 5:03 PM

(April 5, 2018) A Nantucket District Court judge on Monday ordered an island man to pay a neighbor $75 for damaging a Confederate flag, which he admitted he cut down the day before Independence Day last year because he believed it was a racist symbol.

Oliver La Farge, 32, of 88 Vestal St., was sentenced to six months pretrial probation and ordered to make restitution for the flag's repair.

According to police reports, court testimony and two letters written to Nantucket police chief Bill Pittman by Diana Coffin and her husband Henry Vetra, La Farge was on Tuckernuck July 3, 2017 when he got into a dispute with the Coffins over flying a Confederate flag so close to Independence day.

"This crime, committed by Oliver, with malicious intent, equated to a hate crime," Coffin wrote. La Farge was never charged with a hate crime.

"This flag will never fly on this island," Vetra wrote of La Farge saying when he cut the flag down. "I then told him to put the knife away, he looked at meWILD EYED and many seconds later, folded the knife and put it in his front right pocket, while stating he only saw red," according to the police report.

When reached by phone, Vetra referred questions to his wife. A message left with Coffin was not returned. La Farge's attorney declined a request to interview La Farge.

To read the complete District Court report, pick up the print edition of this week's Inquirer and Mirror or register for the I&M's online edition by clicking here.

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